The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicked off last week — and HuffPost is live-blogging every twist, turn and controversy of what’s widely shaping up to be the most political soccer tournament of all time.From the action on the pitch to the potential chaos off it, the storylines are already piling up: Iran’s tough journey to the competition amid Donald Trump’s war, the president’s close relationship with FIFA’s Peace Prize-awarding President Gianni Infantino, and simmering tensions between the U.S. and fellow host nations Mexico and Canada fueled by Trump’s tariffs and divisive rhetoric.Trump’s travel bans have kept some fans and officials out; there’s been fury over soaring ticket prices, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be present at games as the Trump administration continues its anti-immigration crackdown.Not to mention extreme heat concerns that scorched everyone involved the last time the U.S. hosted the tournament, some 32 years ago, in 1994.President Donald Trump, left, received the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, right, in December.Andrew Harnik via Getty ImagesOn the field, the men’s national teams from 48 countries are competing in a record 104 matches across the three host nations in what will be the biggest World Cup in history.The U.S. beat Paraguay 4-1 in Los Angeles on June 12 and will play Australia in Seattle on June 19 and Turkey back in Los Angeles on June 25, in the group games, before potentially competing in the later knockout rounds.The final will be held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which is being temporarily rebranded as the New York/New Jersey Stadium for the competition.Current European champions Spain are favorites to lift the trophy. Defending champions Argentina, of Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi fame, along with France, England and Brazil, are also expected to be in the mix.Check out the full games schedule on the FIFA website.Follow along with our coverage below:Mexico Becomes First Team To Reach World Cup Knockout StageMexico took advantage of a defensive blunder by South Korea to win 1-0 and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the World Cup on Thursday, sending fans onto the streets across the country to celebrate.It marks a major triumph for a team that failed to get out of the group stage in 2022 and now has won twice on home soil in front of jubilant crowds. Mexico players celebrated at midfield and waved to the fans who cheered and sang from the packed stands at Estadio Akron.As soon as the final whistle blew, the mariachis began to sing at the Ángel of Independence in Mexico City while thousands of people walked in from all directions. Some streets in Guadalajara were filled with drivers honking horns and fans chanting and waving Mexican flags.Luis Romo scored in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and dropped the ball inside the area. Romo easily found the open net after picking up the loose ball.The South Koreans nearly equalized in the 87th minute when Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel stopped a header from close range by Cho Gue-sung, then made an even better save of Yang Hyun-jun's attempt on the rebound, extending his right arm to keep the ball from crossing the line.“It was very quick, it was pure reaction,” Rangel said. “I couldn’t really tell you what I saw, because I remember the moment of impact with my teammate and me having the ball."Mexico clinches Group AMexico won Group A with six points in two matches, three more than South Korea and five more than the Czech Republic and South Africa, who drew 1-1 earlier Thursday in Atlanta.The top two teams from each group move on to the knockout stage, along with the best eight third-place teams. A round of 32 is being played for the first time at the World Cup after the tournament was expanded to 48 teams.“We’ve been doing very well,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “It wasn’t a great match, but I think that our opponent didn’t let us do too much. But we still were able to score, on that mistake, in addition to another two or three opportunities.”Aguirre said it felt good for the players to guarantee their spot in the next round back in Mexico City.“It relieves some of the pressure,” he said. “But not for me, for the players. They are euphoric, they are very happy.”Mexico opened with a 2-0 win over South Africa, while South Korea rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Czechs.Mexico closes group play on Wednesday against the Czech Republic in Mexico City, while South Korea takes on South Africa in Monterrey.Mexico had never won a World Cup game on home soil outside Mexico City. Before 2026, all but one of its nine World Cup matches at home, spanning the 1970 and 1986 tournaments, had been played at Estadio Azteca, with five wins and three draws. When it played in Toluca in 1970, it lost 4-1 to Italy in the quarterfinals.Thursday's match got off to a lackluster start, with neither team creating significant scoring opportunities and both squads getting loudly booed after the halftime whistle.Mexico, ranked 13th, was eliminated in the group stage four years ago in Qatar. That followed seven straight eliminations in the round of the 16.South Korea star Son Heung-min had another disappointing game and was substituted out in the 57th.Plaudits for SonThe 33-year-old Son is looking to become South Korea’s top goal scorer at the World Cup and the Asian player with the most goals in the tournament. The former Tottenham star, currently with Los Angeles FC, entered with three goals over three prior World Cups.Kim kept Mexico from adding to the lead by coming up with a tough save off a close-range shot by Raúl Jiménez in the 75th.The South Koreans pressed through the end but could not equalize.South Korea, ranked 22nd, is making its 11th straight World Cup appearance and 12th overall, the most of any Asian country. Its best result was a fourth-place finish at the tournament it co-hosted with Japan in 2002. Since then, the South Koreans have never gone beyond the round of 16.“The mistake that we made was unfortunate,” coach Hong Myung-bo said.This time there were not many empty seats in Guadalajara, contrary to what happened in the earlier match between South Korea and the Czech Republic. FIFA had blamed fans standing in the concourses for the empty seats. Thursday's crowd was announced at 45,522 for the 45,664-capacity stadium, which was hosting the national team for the first time.Celebrations and protestFan zones across Mexico were packed ahead of the game. In the biggest one, in Mexico City’s Zócalo, chants of support for the national team, shouting “Olé!” with every pass, mingled with a homophobic chant — a one-word slur that literally means male prostitute in Spanish — that has previously led to sanctions against Mexico and could spur new punishments by FIFA.There were peaceful protests in Guadalajara organized by the families of Mexico’s 130,000 missing people.Latest Live UpdatesWorld Cup Ticket Buyers Stranded As Resale Purchases Fall ThroughBina Ramroop broke down in tears when she realized she wasn’t going to get the World Cup tickets she had bought for her grandson’s 13th birthday.As thousands poured into Atlanta Stadium on Monday to see Spain face Cape Verde in what turned out to be a remarkable scoreless draw, Ramroop stood outside, increasingly stressed as she went back and forth for hours between StubHub representatives on the phone and FIFA representatives in the ticket booth. Each blamed the other.Read more here:Iran To File FIFA Complaint Over U.S. World Cup Travel RestrictionsIran plans to lodge a complaint with football's world governing body FIFA over travel restrictions its team is facing in the U.S. at the World Cup.Due to uncertainty over visas and the conflict with the U.S., the Iranian team are commuting from their tournament base in co-host Mexico for their three group games in the U.S.U.S. authorities require them to enter within 24 hours of a match and leave the same day, leading team coach Amir Ghalenoei to say Iran were the "most oppressed" team in the tournament."The Football Federation of Iran believes these restrictions are inconsistent with the principles of providing equal conditions for participating teams and may affect their technical preparation," the federation said in a statement on Friday announcing its protest to FIFA.Neither FIFA nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to Reuters requests for comment.Ghalenoei said the disruption had prejudiced Iran in Monday's 2‑2 draw with New Zealand."Under the coaching staff's plan, the national team needed to travel to the host city two days before each match in order to achieve optimal technical and physical condition, and then return to their base the day after the match," the federation said."However, for the opening match against New Zealand, this request was not approved."Iran face Belgium on June 21 in Los Angeles and will conclude their Group G fixtures against Egypt on June 27 in Seattle.Scotland World Cup Fans Strike It Rich With Boston Red Sox Raffle WinFootball fans are paying thousands of dollars for tickets to World Cup games this year but four Scotland supporters have been given a big help with their expenses after they won more than $10,000 in a raffle at a baseball game in Boston.The four - two father-and-son duos - bought the winning numbers on Sunday at the Boston Red Sox stadium which was packed with members of the Tartan Army, a day after Scotland marked their first match at the World Cup in 28 years with a 1-0 win over Haiti, the BBC reported."We checked in the ninth inning. We had to do a double take," one of the sons, Paul Innes, said after receiving the prize of $10,677. "The numbers matched. I think we checked three or four times. It's just surreal. It's not really sunk in."Scotland are due to play Morocco at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough, near Boston, on Friday when they will be roared on again by tens of thousands of their fans.World Cup Sensation Goes Incognito On New York Sightseeing Trip And Nobody NoticesAfter scoring the goals in Boston that caused seismic shocks in his native country, Norway striker Erling Haaland went incognito to check out the sights of New York with his partner during a well-earned break from the World Cup on Thursday.Wearing a light-coloured baseball cap and dark sunglasses, the 25-year-old posted pictures of himself and Isabel Haugseng Johansen in Times Square and outside famous eatery Katz's Deli on social media, with New Yorkers seemingly unaware that one of the world's most famous soccer players was in their midst."It helps to hide the hair, to be honest," Haaland wrote on Snapchat, referring to his famous flowing blond locks that are usually tied in a knot when he plays.Haaland scored twice in Norway's dominant 4-1 win over Iraq -- their first World Cup game in 28 years -- and his side's reward was a couple of days off ahead of their meeting with Senegal, who opened their Group I campaign with a 3-1 defeat by France.Norway and Senegal meet at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on June 22, and Norwegian coach Stale Solbakken said he was more than happy to let his charges loose for a few days' rest and relaxation with friends and family."Everyone needs a little break. The guys benefit from clearing their minds a little, and getting away from me and others," Solbakken said.Brazil Star Ruled Out Of Haiti World Cup ClashBrazil forward Neymar has been ruled out for Friday's World Cup match against Haiti in Philadelphia.The Brazil federation confirmed Thursday that Neymar will not travel with the team and will remain at the base camp in Morristown, N.J., where he returned to the practice field Wednesday for the first time since sustaining a calf injury on May 17.Neymar, 34, is Brazil's all-time leader with 79 goals but has not competed in an international match since October 2023. He missed the team's Group C opener on Saturday, a 1-1 draw with Morocco in East Rutherford, N.J.Brazil's media corps has reported that the team medical staff is hoping to have Neymar back for the knockout round.Scotland are currently atop Group C through one round of matches behind their 1-0 defeat of Haiti.U.S. Sweats On Pulisic Fitness Ahead Of Australia World Cup ShowdownChristian Pulisic's availability for the United States' crucial Group D clash with Australia in Seattle on Friday remains uncertain, coach Mauricio Pochettino said on Thursday.The forward was instrumental in the opening 4-1 rout of Paraguay in the World Cup last week before leaving at halftime with a calf injury.He has been training individually this week, and Pochettino said he could make a decision after consulting medical officials on Thursday evening."If he's not available for tomorrow, he will be available for the next game. He's doing a massive effort," the Argentine told reporters."Christian is strong and with a great mentality and is doing a fantastic effort to try to be ready as soon as possible."The U.S. and Australia come into Friday's match tied at the top of Group D, after the Socceroos' 2-0 upset of Turkey, and a win for either will make them firm favourites to secure a better path in the knockout stage.The U.S.'s dismantling of Paraguay has stoked excitement among fans, but Pochettino was wary of the threat posed by Australia."They are a very strong team, really believing in what they are doing," Pochettino said, adding that the U.S. need to match that focus to compete with them.Turkey and Paraguay face off at 8 p.m. local time on Friday in San Francisco.World Cup Weather Watch: USA vs. AustraliaHere's what fans can expect in Seattle for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between the U.S. and Australia on Friday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/2World Cup Weather Watch: Turkey vs. ParaguayHere's what fans can expect in the San Francisco Bay Area for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between Turkey and Paraguay on Friday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/2World Cup Weather Watch: Brazil vs. HaitiHere's what fans can expect in Philadelphia for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between Brazil and Haiti on Friday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/2World Cup Weather Watch: Scotland vs. MoroccoHere's what fans can expect in Boston for the 2026 FIFA World Cup game between Scotland and Morocco on Friday, including temperatures, the Fan Comfort Index (FCI) level and any weather concerns.See more World Cup weather news on The Weather Channel.1/22/2See All Updates